Effect of wild boar disturbances on the soil seed bank in alpine plant communities

Abstract

Soil seed bank (SSB) determines essential ecological processes by maintaining species diversity and recovering damaged plant communities, and supports conservation of lost plant species. Nevertheless, the variation of SSBs, their densities, and composition changes when accompanied by wild boar disturbances are scarcely studied in sensitive habitats such as alpine grasslands. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of wild boar rooting on SSB characteristics. Five plant communities were selected and four disturbed patches in each community were recognized in alpine grassland, Albors Mountain Chain, Iran. SSB density, richness, diversity, evenness and similarity with aboveground vegetation were compared between disturbed and adjacent undisturbed patches. In total 80 soil cores in each community, 40 disturbed and 40 undisturbed were collected and transported to the greenhouse. The seedling emergence method was used to identify and quantify seeds from the germinable seed bank. The results showed that, totally, the SSB within disturbed patches was smaller than in undisturbed patches. Wild boar (Sus scrofa) rooting decreased SSB density, richness and diversity in all plant communities. We found that rooting homogenized SSBs in disturbed patches as indicated by the Pielou evenness index. The results suggested a deep alteration of the structure of seed banks by wild boar rooting, which in turn, vegetation recovery did not rely on SSBs after disturbances. In order to reduce wild boar rooting damage, a large reduction in wild boar abundance is suggested.

Quantifying shrub encroachment through soil seed bank analysis in the Ethiopian highlands

“…All the collected data were organized in excel and checked for errors, normal distribution and homogeneity of variance before the data analysis were run [ 57 , 58 ]. Using SAS statistical software version 9.0.1 (SAS Institute, 2001), all the collected data was fitted into a general linear model (GLM) and were analyzed using two-way ANOVA (Analysis of variance) to determine the abundance of Festuca macrophylla and Helichrysum splendidum in the soil seed bank along altitudinal gradient.…”

Effect of moderate livestock grazing on soil and vegetation characteristics in zokor mounds of different ages

“…Disturbance activities occur underground and directly affect soil properties, such as excavating plant roots, turning over soil, and bringing deep soil to the surface 72 . Zokor disturbance also changes the density and composition of soil seed banks as the disturbances bring seeds from the lower soil layer into the upper layer and provide suitable conditions for germination, especially in some sensitive habitats, such as alpine grasslands 73 . In brief, disturbance by plateau zokor affects plant AGB through the alteration of soil characteristics and soil seed banks, such as soil enzyme activity, at the non-grazing sites.…”